Proper Feline Diet is Not Vegan
by Ramona D. Marek
Nature created the elegant feline design as a stealthy obligate carnivore. The cat’s unique biological need for an animal-based diet is the foundation of feline nutrition. The perfectly balanced diet for felines consists of high protein, moisture, fats, and carbohydrates found in small prey. While it may sound unappetizing to us, remember we are feeding strict carnivores. Humans may follow a vegetarian or vegan diet for philosophical, religious or medical reasons but cats cannot.
A cats’ proper feline diet in nature—mouse—has the nutritional values of 52 percent protein, 36 percent fat, and 12 percent carbs. Water content of a cat’s natural diet is approximately 70-75 percent. Feeding a species-appropriate diet to an obligate carnivore should be a no-brainer when following nature’s guidelines.
Protein
Protein provides the building blocks of amino acids that help with many biological processes. This includes healthy muscle tissue, bone health, and proper nervous system function. The 22 amino acids are classified as essential or nonessential. The feline body synthesizes (naturally produces) eleven nonessential amino acids but lacks the ability to synthesize the 11 essential amino acids. Therefore they must be consumed in a meat diet.
Proteins vary in terms of quality, the level of amino acids and the body’s ability to best utilize the amino acids. Cats need a variety of amino acids. While plant-based proteins provide some amino acids they do not provide all the essential amino acids found in animal protein necessary for an obligate carnivore. Taurine, one of the most crucial essential amino acids necessary in feline nutrition, is only present in meat. Taurine deficiency causes blindness, heart problems and other disorders.
Fats
Fats are another fundamental nutrient necessary to maintain optimum health and to maintain cell structure. They are a source of concentrated energy and help with absorption of fat soluble vitamins A (which cats can’t produce), D, E, and K. Just as cats cannot synthesize 11 essential amino acids, neither can they naturally produce sufficient amounts of essential fatty acids. Because of this the essential fatty acids must be provided in a meat-based diet. The two essential fatty acids vital to cats are linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. Both found in animal sources. Two more familiar essential fatty acids are Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Cats eating a diet with essential fatty acids from plants alone may experience liver and kidney degeneration and deficiencies in reproduction, muscle development and growth.
Carbohydrates
In the wild, a proper feline diet consists of high protein, high moisture, modest amount of fat and minimal carbohydrates. Cats physiologically lack the ability to convert and utilize carbohydrates the way other animals can. Simply put, cats cannot live on a plant-based diet of grains and vegetables alone. Some pet food manufacturers use plant-based protein to inflate protein amounts primarily because it is cheaper.
Often these foods are between 30 percent to 50 percent carbohydrates with some cheaper foods scoring even higher. Such diets are often chock-full of chemical additives mimicking necessary nutrients in the natural diet. Feeding carb-heavy diets leads to many diseases including obesity, diabetes, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The nutrient pyramid for feline nutrition (52 percent protein, 36 percent fat and 12 percent carbohydrates) has become inverted.
Feeding biologically inappropriate diets to obligate carnivore not only disrespects the species but causes many illnesses. Some are treatable, some irreversible and others are fatal. As omnivores, we humans have a buffet of choices from which to feed our palettes. We have the responsibility to feed species-appropriate nutrition to our pets. Bon appétit and pass the meat!
Ramona Marek has written about companion pets for 12 years. She’s the award-winning author of “Cats for the GENIUS” and has won numerous awards for articles about pet care, health and behavior, and cats in the arts. Ramona serves in felinity to Tsarevich Ivan, a joie de vivre silver tabby Siberian, and Natasha Fatale, a full-time Diva dressed as an “anything but plain” brown tabby.
Website: www.RamonaMarek.com
Facebook: Ramona D. Marek, MS Ed., freelance writer & author, CAO feline
Great post! Thank you for writing about this. I have this conversation often with friends of mine. Just because I don’t eat meats doesn’t mean my animal companions don’t. They are carnivores! Good grief you would think people would understand this. I hate to touch meat but I will cook for my animals, feed raw food at times and provide treats like Bravo turkey hearts etc. Their dry and wet food items are all balanced out and all have meat or fish, no grain or gluten. It is important not to mix up our personal views around things like farm factories and vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian lifestyles with what is appropriate by nature for our beloved animal companions. Thanks again.